With Western Melbourne FC set to join the A-League next season and Macarthur FC to follow in 2020, the A-League will soon be contested by 12 teams from around Australia.

The competition’s expansion has long been a talking point for administrators, clubs, players and fans, with little agreement on what is needed for football to thrive in Australia.

Melbourne Victory brand ambassador and former striker Archie Thompson joined The Roar on the Game of Codes podcast this week to share his thoughts on the direction the league is heading, arguing that while he’s still open to all sides of the debate, he’s certain that scrapping the salary cap is a necessary step to take.

Listen to Archie Thompson on Game of Codes

After announcing in 2018 that the A-League would be expanding, the FFA explored bids from across Australia before whittling it down to a shortlist of eight. Macarthur FC and Western Melbourne FC were eventually chosen ahead of other bids from Melbourne, Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra and Ipswich.

A-League clubs were restricted under a $3.063 million salary cap for that 2018-19 season with a salary floor of $2.756 million, or 90 per cent of the cap. However, numerous exceptions are in place including for marquee players, mature-age rookies and loyalty allowances.

In a matter of weeks the women’s World Cup kicks off. It’s a tournament that’s been around for less than 30 years, but with the growth of women’s football, it’s now very much a must-watch event around the world for any sport fan.